Towing device



M. T. WATERMAN. TOWING DEVICE.

APPLlcArxoN FILED luLY 8,1920.

1,390,942. Pantedsept. 13,1921.

A T TURA/E V8 PATENT OFFICE.

MALCOLM TIEPKE WATERMAN, 0F CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.

TOWING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1921.

Application led July 8, 1920. Serial No. 394,624.

To all whom it may concer/a:

Be it known that I, MALCOLM T. WATER- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Towing Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in towing devices, and more particularly to an improved coupling means for connecting a pair of motorcycles of the side car type, so that a stalled motor car can be readily towed. y

A further object is to provide a device of the character stated which can be utilized without injury to either of the motorcycles, which can be conveniently carried from place to place, and'which will maintain the motorcycles spaced a relative distance apartand efficiently perform its functions whether going up grade or down.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and combinations and ar- -rangements of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a top plan view illustrating my improved device in operative position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in side elevation showing fragments of the connected motorcycles.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the device detached.

1 and 2 represent a pair of i'notorcycles of the side car type and for purposes of illustrating my invention, the rear car 9. may be supposed to have stalled and it is necessary to tow the saine into the garage or placcvof repair although 1t is, of course, obvious that my improved device might be utilized to connect motorcycles so that only the power or engine of one may be utilized for moving b oth motorcycles.

My improved towing device comprises a pair of bars 3, 3, which may be of any desired length and connected at one end by a metal strap f1 forminga coupling eye 5 adapted to be attached by a rope or other means 6 to the stand 7 of the towing motorcycle.

The inner faces of the bars 3 at their forward ends are beveled or inclined, as

shown at 8, so that the strap i serves to hold the bars 3 at an angle to each o er as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3,` he bars `3, 3, are provided at their rear ends against their inner faces with clamping blocks 9 connected'to the bars 3 by bolts 10 and wing nuts` 11. These blocks 9 and the inner faces of the bars 3 are preferably provided with cushioning sheets 12 which-are preferably of rubber or other similar material and said blocks and their cushioning sheets are preferably provided with registering recesses 13 so as to form a gripping or clamping engagement with the mudguard brace rods 14 of the motorcycle to be towed.

In operation, the clamping blocks 9 are removed and located against the inner faces ofthe mudguard braces 14 with the latter in the recesses 13 and then the bolts 10 are tightened by means of the nuts 11 to securely clamp the bars 3, 3, to the motorcycle to be towed. The forward end of the towing device is connected by the rope or other flexible connecting means 6 with the stand 7 which is ordinarily provided at the rear of motorcycles, the rope being passed through said stand and through the eye 5 of the metal strap 4i so that when the frontmotorcycle 1 is operated, the rear motorcycle Q will be eifectually towed.

Various slight changes might be made in the general forni and arrangement of parte described without departing from theinvention, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A. towing device of the character da scribed, comprisingJ a pair of bars located at an angle to each other, a. strap connecting said bars at one end and havingr an eye therein, cushioned blocks secured to the inner faces of the bars at their free ends, and bolts projecting through the blocks and bars and securing the parts together.

2. A towing device, comprising a pair of bars located at an angle to each other. clamping blocks on the inner faces of said bars at one end, cushioning sheets secured to said blocks and to the inner faces of the. bars, bolts projecting through the blocs and bars, and nuts on the ends of the bolts.

MALCOLM TIEPKE WATERMAN. 

